Michele I of Istalia
Michele I '''(Romula, 24 January 4512 — Romula, 13 Apeil 4593), born '''Michele Appiano De Borromei, was an Istalian statesman and military leader, first ''Emperor of the Istalians''.'' He arose to the prominence in the following years after the failed Thallerist Revolution of 4546 as leader of a new pan-istalian and pro-democratic movements and then founder and first [[Head of the State (Istalian Title)|''Head of the State]] of the Fifth Republic. He was declared Emperor as Michele I on 1 September 4571 when the last National Congress of the Fifth Republic approved the Imperial Constitution proposed by the fanatical admirers and estimators of the political branch ''Guard of Democracy'''' within the at the time Istalian hegemonic party, "so to entrust in perpetiuty the Guide of the Istalian Res Publicae and the Guardianship of the Constitutions and the Values and Principles of Istalia to an Emperor",'' as mentioned into the Constitunal Law. Biography Early Life Michele Appiano De Borromei was born in Romula from Giulio Appiano De Borromei, lawyer and career romulan politicians, and Paola Borgiese, a model and also actress in few films. Michele's family could boast to descent from two ancient Istalian noble families, the Appiano and the De Borromei, which merged however only recently, to be precise in 4086, when the two ancestors of Michele, Francesco Appiano and Letizia De Borromei were married. The origins of the two families, however, date back to many centuries before. The one of the Appiano, originally Appianus, was an ancient Princely Romulan Family that emerged under the Augustan domination as one of the most important of the city, at the time called Colsamia, and which, after the Augustans retired, was included by the Church among the most noble blessed families called to defend the faith in those lands, especially in the face of the unstoppable advance of the Ahmadi Caliphate. Subsequently, the Appiano family always remained a wealthy family of the city with feuds, which later became large estates, scattered around Mezzodiurno, some of which were still in the possession of the Appiano De Borromeis. The De Borromeis, on the other hand, were originally from Vinesia and had emerged between the 16th and 17th centuries as a rich merchant family, later to become patrician of the city, which was enriched over time by the emergent modern banking activity. The De Borromei family branch that remained in Trivendito until modern times is still involved in financial activities. Michele was named by his father, quite religious, after Saint Michael the Apostole, like Michele's elder and younger brothers, whose names were rispectively Tommaso and Mattia, like the other Apostole Thomas and Matthias the Baptist. As per family tradition, Michele and his brothers attended a private religious school of Romula. The experience, however, was not positive for Michele, he went so far as to say that he had hated that school, blaming the father for this but mainly for the fact that when he was 11 his mother had left home leaving the country forever. When he finished primary at age 13 he didn't wanted continue to study there like his father desired who was then forced to enroll the son into a public school. During the profile school and the high school emerged the charisma that would have distinguished him for all his life, becoming very popular and coming to be elected as an institute representative. Once finished the high school, the father would have liked to see him attend the law faculty and then join his law practice, but the relations between them had not improved with time and Michele, defying him, enlisted at the Aeronautical Academy in 4530. Military Career Michele graduated in 4534 becoming a military jet pilot and was assigned to the 9° group of the 24° Wing based in north Trivendito. In 4536 began the courses to the Institute of Military Science aspiring to a career in the high ranks of the Air Force and in the following ten years he had a very good career, passing through several commands until he entered the Air Force Staff. In 4544 with the rank of Colonnel moved into a base near Eristano, where lived his brother, and became close to his nepew Alessandro. Like many others within the Armed Forces, he was seriously concerned by the evolution of the situation in Romula, where the socialist Governments since the middle of the 30's had began to talk about the possibility to reform the country into a Socialist Republic and came close to a group of officers of the Armed Forces who were starting concretely to consider the options of a "radical solution" to prevent the socialist programs. Michele, however, later took the distance from these officers, aborring to partecipate to a traisons. The Thallerist Revolution When the Thallerist Revolution began, he was in Romula at the Defence Staff and was among the officers who were able to fled the city attacked by mercenaries and regular istalian forces which believed to act under the command of the putchists leaders, actually betrayed by Julius von Thaller. Firstly he find refuge in Vinesia, where the loyal high ranks of the Air Forces gathered. Here Michele hoped for the Armed Forces to organize them against the Thallerist forces, but he had to realize that the Armed Forces had started a war between them, divided in several factions like the putchists, the loyalist and the socialist. However he refused to join the fight starting to campaign to make realize to the rest of the military apparatus that the true enemy was only one, Julius von Thaller. Thus he approached the former Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Filippo Sartori and in 4 months he was able to reunite the Navy and part of the Air Force. In the meanwhile, he entered in contact also with the rising Resistance within which his father Giulio was rising among its leaders and then he moved in Alaria on request of Sartori to coordinate the efforts in Alaria. Thanks to his efforts the Armed Forces at the end of 4547 where fully reunited and ready to fight the Thallers. During this period Michele started to rebuilt the relationship with the father but in the following months the Thallerist mercenaries discovered near Romula Giulio and executed him with other members of the Resistance. He spent the rest of the year to coordinate the efforts against the Thallerist forces of Armed Forces and Resistance which finally in December 4548 entered in Romula defeating definitively the Revelution. Political Career When the democracy was restored, however, Michele Appiano De Borromei, promoted to the rank of Squadron General, he constated that the provvisional governments which followed the Revolution were engoulfed in internal clashes and recriminations while the Armed Forces within were divided in several factions, a situation that he considered very dangerous. For this reason, disappointed by the poor state of the country and aspiring to see restored the past glory and power of Istalia, started to gather together many politicians and Armed Forces' officers veterans of the Resistance, among which Filippo Sartori and also his nepew Alessandro, and in 4553 he announced publicly his political project foundind the party Glory and Rebirth. When he began to rally around the country presenting his project, his ambitions for Istalia, with his charisma and his image of hero of the war against the Thallerist Revolution, in really few time began to attract supporters all over the country, fascinating also many of the members of parliament elected among the ranks of the Istalian Liberty Party. The Istalians were conqured by the promises of glory and prosperity by Appiano De Borromei, attracted by his idea of Defensive or Militant Democracy, disappointed by the poor activities of the provvisional government, tired for the political unstability, in search of new hope and real prospective of the future. Massive demonstrations in support of the new party dragged the Liberty Party began to fall apart with many exponents who assured their support to the new rising star of Istalia. Giotto Caiola, head of state, and former leader of the Resistance together the Father of Michele, acknowledged of the situation, under pressure by the popular reaction and by many within the parliaments, at the beginning of 4554 summoned Michele Appiano De Borromei to Quattroregni Palace: Caiola had to agree with Appiano De Borromei about the delicate situation of the country, actually engoulfed in political stagnation and still under the guardianship of Armed Forces which, however, were divided too in several factions. For this reason, Caiola too dragged by Appiano De Borromei's charisma, he appointed Adm. Filippo Sartori, right hand of Michele, as new head of government together expontents from the new Appiano De Borromei's party and the Liberty one. The new government without hesitation immediately focused on the measures to overcome definitively the unstable post-conflict situation and thus it founded the new Republic, the Fifth, adopting a system of Presidential government and preparing it for the first elections of the new era: in 4555 Michele Appiano De Borromei was elected with a landslide victory first Head of the State. At the helm of the country With Glory and Rebirth controlling all the new National Congress, Michele Appiano De Borromei appointed a new cabinet, still formed by civil and military, with which he inaugurated a massive campaign of reforms aimed to aiming to restore momentum and vigor to the country, above all from an economic point of view starting to dismantle the socialist-style reforms of the last years of the Fourth Republic but also starting to introduce laws inspired by the Defensive Democracy philosophy promoted by Appiano De Borromei which put in place measures and tools for the Institutions to persecute and repress all those threats which could menace and undermine the democratic order of the state, imposing several conditions to candidate and party to contest elections, openly banning all those political movements and ideologies uncompatible with the democratic values of the Istalian Nation, an idea of Democracy that for many Michele Appiano De Borromei almost refounded in Istalia. Michele inflamed the hearts of the Istalians, praising and exalting extensively the Istalian civilization itself describing it as the highest peak ever reached on Terra by social, economic and ethical evolution, exaltating the Istalian democracy and the values which permeated the Istalian society and presenting himself as a leader ready to face together the country all these threats that for centuries tried to undermine the prosperity and the glory that the manifested destinity had by right reserved for the country. Among these manaces, Appiano De Borromei pointed a finger first of all against Solentia and the its fascist regime saw by many as one of the main cause of the worsening of the crisis of 45th century. Solentia fascists were accused to have for years profited of their pro-istaliana foreign policy just to steal military technology aimed, instead, to undermine the prosperity and the interests of Istalia and the gargantuescan fortified borders system built by the fascists which became the target of a veritable ultimatum launched by Appiano De Borromei to the Solentian Government, considered although by many to be quite disproportionate in light of the actual fall of the fascist regime in Solentia and of the ongoing dismantling process. Later such a ultimatum was seen mainly as a domestic propagandistic measures, because, in fact, after the protests by part of Solentian political forces of such aggressive and warmongering-like behavior, the Foreign Ministry and Michele Appiano De Borromei established a dialogue with decidedly more peaceful tones which actually brough results convincing the solentians to demolish the fortified borders system and thus, easing and facilitate the trade and the movement of goods and people between Istalia and Solentia but, most important for Istalia, between the country and the rest of Majatra. In 4557, however, popular demonstrations took the streets for the massive and quickly economic anti-socialist reforms and for the heavy cut in all departments and services of the State, pushing the most leftist forces to lift up the head and, organizing around the trade union, blocking the country and demanding more rights for workers and more social security and social justice for the citizens. The protests were heavily criticized by the institutions, dominated by liberal and anti-socialist positions, but surpisingly the Head of the State, beatin also his most close colaborators, expressed himself in favor of the claims by part of the citizens and supporting the principles of social justice. During the next year he focused on the creation of a Chart of the duties of the State, duties toward the citizens, to reaffirm the universal right to health care, education, socio-economic dignity, ecc... With the Head of the State open and disponible to hear such rivendications, supporting what it was see as a new socialist drift, some high ranks of the Armed Forces the night of August 20 4558 attempted a coup d'état to establish a military government. Despite the putchists were able to take the Capital and some other centers, the loyalist forces and an opposed popular reactions made fail the putch. Michele Appiano De Borromei during the night was encircled and arrested by the putchists who demanded him to sign a document recognizing the new military junta which had to be lead by the Minister of Justice Admiral Valerio van de Ruit, supported by other 5 Ministers and upt to 40 parlamentarians, all of them arrested and convicted for traisons. With the internal situation normalized and with actually all the possible enemies out of the picture, Michele Appiano De Borromei turned his attention abroad began a diplomatic tour through Majatra touching Pontesi, Selucia, Kalopia and also Solentia with which, just before the elections, was organized finally a conference during which Metapontum agreed to demolish the fortification. Returned in Istalia with this great success, however, Appiano De Borromei and his party had to face a new menace, the rising fascist Nationalist Workers Party which, despite the National Electoral Committee didn't allowe it to contest the elections as per laws against the anti-democratic parties and ideologies, was able to organize several lists, civic lists officially independent from the fascists, to circumvent the ban. But it was the right hand of Appiano De Borromei, Filippo Sartori, his powerful Interior Minister, who took the initiative: gathering together all the parties authorized to contest the elections and opposed to the fascists, Filippo Sartori founded the Coalition for the Democratic Cooperation, a large electoral and parliamentary alliance to defend first of all the new Istalian Democracy. It was a winning initiative: the elections 4561 saw the Coalition and his idea of Militant Democracy gaining the majority and Michele Appiano De Borromei re-elected as Head of the State. During his second tenure as Head of the State, Michele Appiano De Borromei and his government inaugurated a seasons of great public investments in large infrastructural projects and began a complete review of the status of the Armed Forces while the economic reforms undertaken the previous years was starting to bear fruit. Important resources were dedicated to the research and the science, mainly for a new fusion nuclear laboratory and a fusion ignition facility, the largest of its kind worlwide. After few time a reform of the welfare made trouble the coalitions due to the protests of the opposing social democrats, but this time was the pupils of Sartori, Damiano Valenti, that was the one to solve the situation by mediating between the parties and showing resoluteness as well as intelligence and political hability. It was again Valenti that in 4570 began to spread among Guard of Democracy an idea to furhter reform the Istalian State and overcome also the Fifth Republic, a reform aimed to maintain Appiano De Borromei who had become a figure inseparable from the istalian reality, a true symbol for all istalians, to be honored in perpetuity and to have in perpetuity as tutelary guardian of the country, of its Values and its Principles, values and principles that for many were litterally refounded by the Head of State. At the beginning of 4571 Valenti and Guard of Democracy presented to the Congress their proposal for an Imperial Constitution of Istalia to, using the words of Valenti, enthrust in perpetuity the Guide of the Res Publica and the Guardiaship of the Constitutions and of the Values and Principles of the Country to Michele Appiano De Borromei as Emperor of the Istalians. The debate in the country and between the Congress lasted for months and the public opinions progressively went in favor of the reform which was approved by the parliament at the end of August and then confirmed by the population through a national referendum: the 1st September 4571 the Empire was officially founded. The Imperial acclamation Michele Appiano De Borromei until the referendum remained silent about the proposal saying that he would waited and respected the will of the Istalians, but when the reform was clearly accepted, he fully embrace his destinity and just few hours after the proclamation, he appeared before thousands of citizens who had crowd the square in front Quattroregni Palace speaking for the first time as Emperor of the Istalians and then oathing before the new National Assembly. The new Empire, however, was challenged by the refounded Istalian Nationalist Party which gather together all those opposing the Imperial reform harshly campaigning against the new Emperor Michele I claiming the distruction of the Democracy and the establishment of a tyranny. While the first Government of the Empire, led by Damiano Valenti, was busy to finalizing the Imperial reforms, like formalizing the official status of the House of Appiano De Borromei as Istalian Imperial Family the Nationalists extended their protests internationally involving nations like Solentia and Selucia to which, however, many falsehoods were told prompting a veritable international crisis, with such governments expressing concerns about the democracy in Istalia, and which lasted until the elections 4575 which were heavily influenced by the smearing campaign by the Nationalists that gained the majority within the National Assembly but not enough seats to put in danger the Imperial Institutional system. Solentian President McSane worsened furthermore the situation after a visit to the Nationalist Government when he expressed allegations against the previous government accused to have planned a war against Solentia, allegations which however were fully rejected by the opposition led by Valenti and which lead to a veritable political debacle for McSane. Michele I, however, never entered in such diatriba, fully respecting his role as authority above the political clashes, fully committing himself to enhance the new Imperial status of Istalia. In 4573 he visited the Imperial Court of Hulstria and Gao-Soto together his wife Margherita and his nepew Alessandro, appointed as Emperor's Chief of Staff for the trip, where he was warmly welcomed and establishing a fruiful relationship with the Hulstrian Imperial House which was furhter cultivated by Alessandro who has woven a cordial friendship with the Kaiser Hans Friedrick Albert III. But it was not the only monarchical nation with which Istalia began to establish new relations. The Emperor continued in fact to voyage and receive foreign dignitaries, but the Imperial House had to face the heavy limitations adopted by the Nationalist Government to undermine the Imperial authority. This, however, doesn't reached to undermine seriously the monarchy which in the following years, instead, increased in luster and authority and also in popular support. A great demonstration of this was the marriage of the Prince Alessandro held on December 4578 which was an excellent showcase, despite conducted in private form due to the limitations imposed by the Nationalists, first of all financial and political opposition to a State Cerimony, and which saw the partecipation of many crowned heads from all over the world. It was just after the marriage that Michele I, beginning to look and feel himself old, expressed his decision to appoint Prince Alessandro as his official heir, nominating him in front of the High Imperial Council on March 24 4579. In the following years Michele I continued to incarnate and fully respect his role of sovereign superpartes limiting himself to ceremonial and institutional assignments avoiding any involvement in the political sphere, contuning to avoid to intervene and respond in any way to the continuous attacks by the Nationalist Party. It was Damiano Valenti, in the role of political leader, who took on the defense of the Emperor and the Imperial Order, still labeled as a personal dictatorship of Michele I by the Nationalists. It was a difficult period for the Emperor also to carry out his duties, unable even to travel abroad due to the limitations of the Crown funds by the Nationalist Government led by Faisal Saeed. In 4581 Michele I was alongside the once again Prime Minister Valenti to inaugurate with satisfation the Mount Tonante Tunnel, a project highly sponsorized by the Emperor when still Head of the State of the Fifth Republic. In the same here together the whole nations the Emperor triumphaly celebrated the 10th anniversary of his coronation and of the Empire's foundation. The 1st September he issued an adress to the nation: In these years the Emperor began to be often replaced by the Heir to the Throne in performing several institutional duties, for other 4 years exploited with the support of the Valenti's Government and protected by the ostracism of the PNI. Finally in 4585 the pains of the Emperor due to the Nationalists came to an end: the PNI, in fact, was disbanded by the Justice for having break the Law but mainly for a conspiracy involving a solentian party, puppetized by the PNI, aimed to turn the solentian public opinion against the Imperial Institutions. This was the only occasion which saw Michele I intervene on the long lasting fight against the Nationalists heavily criticizing their misdeeds and their exponents, primarily Faisal Saeed: The early elections 4586 saw a landslide victory by the Socialists & Democrats who, as already accertained by the National Alliance, were not interested in change the institutional order and indeed their leader Paolo Tarso fully pledged allegiance to the Emperor. This assured to Michele I serenity for his last years. In the same year Damiano Valenti announced his retirement from the politics to honor him for his services, and also as mind behind Michele's elevation to the Imperial Dignity, the Emperor created him 1st Duke of Ulbia, from his birth place, the first man created as Noble since centuries in Istalia. At the end of the year, however, Michele I suffered a heart attack which undermined his health. For this unfortunate event, thousands of people gather in front of Deodato II Polyclinic where the Emperor was hospitalized for several days expressing all their closeness to the beloved monarch. Since that day the emperor's public appearances were considerably reduced as well as his participation in institutional commitments and state ceremonies, increasingly replaced by his nephew Alessandro. Death At the end of March 4593 Emperor's health deteriorated due to a bad cough which caused a chest infection. He was hospitalized at the Deodato II Polyclinic the 5 April but his conditions continued to worsen. At 10.54 am of April 13th, Michele I, first Emperor of the Istalians, died. The reaction dragged all the nation in a massive outpouring of public grief. It was not just sombre dress and a minute of silence at sports games but it was a veritable punch to the gut of the national psyche. In tens of thousands turned out to lay flowers outside Quattroregni Palace and by some estimates as many as 1 million bouquets were left while a memorial appeal raised alsmost 20 million and people queued for 10 hours or more to sign memorial books. There were scenes of unbelievable grief, it was as though all the people of Istalia had lost someone incredibly dear to them and their emotion was genuine. Hysteria mounted for days on the streets of Istalia with people walking into the road blinded by tears and who appeared to be losing their grip on reality. Solemn State Funeral was held for the Emperor, attended by over two million people who lined the route of the funeral procession to the Church, with between 50 and 70 million Istalians tuning in to watch it while worldwide there were as many as 1 billion viewers. The ceremony saw the Family gather around the Highest Institutions of the Empire, representations of the political, economic, cultural and social world and it was attended by dozens of Heads of State and Heads of Governments from all over the world, first of all obviously the ones from Solentia, Selucia and Lodamun and many also the Crowned Heads present: in front line the Hulstrian Imperial Family, both the former and the current couples, among the closest to the Istalian Imperial House, then the Royals from Vanuku, Lourenne, Rildanor, Sekowo, Keymon, Hutori, Indrala, Kanjor and so on. Since Michele I passed away, his heir, the Prince of Crown Alessandro succeeded him on the Throne. Titles, Styles and Honors Titles When elected first Head of the State of the Fifth Istalian Republic, since 18 February 4555 to 31 August 4571 Michele Appiano De Borromei was styles as: His Excellency the Head of the State of the Istalian Republic. Since 1 September 4571, when he was acclaimed as Emperor of the Istalians, he is styled as: His Majesty the Emperor or as His Imperial Majesty. The official title used into the Imperial Constitution and with which Michele Appiano De Borromei rose to the Imperial Throne is: His Most Excellent Imperial Majesty, Michele I, by the Will of the Nation and Unanimous Acclamation of the People, Costitutional Emperor of the Istalians, Perpetual Defender of Istalia, Protector and Guarantor of the Constitution and the Democratic Values, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces of Istalia, Pater Patriae. In a conversation with the Emperor the common practice is to approach him with the title of Your Majesty. Honors Michele I is sovereign of all the dynastic, institutional and merit orders of the Istalian Empire. Category:Istalia Category:Monarchs Category:Istalian people Category:Istalian emperors